Deathscapes

Blaming Moises

Blaming Moises

Moises’ death seems to have mattered little. It does not appear that anyone has been held accountable for his death.

The state of Nebraska requires that a Grand Jury be convened when an individual dies while being apprehended or while in custody. The role of the Grand Jury is to inquire into the death and decide if formal criminal charges need to be made against anyone in connection with that death.

In Moises’s case, a Grand Jury was convened on January 27, 2017. Only five people were called as witnesses: two corrections officers, the LPN who “cared” for Moises the day he died, an investigator with the Nebraska State Patrol, and the doctor who performed the autopsy (Erin Linde). No detainees who interacted with Moises and who could have provided independent testimony about the care he received were interviewed.

As noted earlier, Dr. Linde, in her testimony, hinted at the fact that Moises did not receive proper care for seizures. But the grand jury found that there was nothing wrong with the care that Moises was given. They instead noted that Moises had not been taking his anti-seizure medication. Essentially, they blamed Moises for causing his own death.

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Findings of the Grand Jury and Grand Jury Report. The report notes that Moises might have had a history of seizures. But there is actually no indication that he had seizures prior to being detained. There is one medical form in Moises’ files that indicates a history of seizures. This form should have been completed when Moises first arrived at Hall County Corrections, but was not filled out until after he had his first seizure.